Saturday morning came, and I wasn't sure what I was going to do. Derek was helping me because of Gabe. Did I really want to be around just so he could feel like he didn't owe my baby's father? The people at the group did seem nice though. That Stephanie lady wasn't afraid to share, and neither were some of the others. I still wasn't sure how they could help me. I also didn't feel like sitting in the house the entire day with nothing to really do. Going to the park for a few minutes wouldn't hurt. I could stay for five minutes and leave. Then I'd be able to say I was there and Derek would feel like he'd done his part. I was still trying to figure it out when my phone dinged with a text.
Derek: I will see you in one hour. If you try to bail, I'll be coming over to get you and Gabe.
Me: No you won't.
Derek: Try me.
Me: You're the pain in the ass.
Derek: So you'll be there then?
Me: Ass
Derek: Is that a yes?
Me: Yes!
Derek: Then get your ass moving. I bet you're still in bed.
Me: Ass
Derek: You already said that. See you in an hour, princess.
There was no way I was answering him. He knew damn well I wasn't going to risk him picking me up. Doug had probably told his ass that I'd told Gabby it was all moms. I didn't want to upset her or have her asking me a million questions on why I'd need a single parent grief group. No way!
I hurried out of bed, got the baby and myself ready, and headed out the door. I hadn't realized just how long it took to get everything I needed ready for Gabe, and I was pretty sure I'd packed way to much for a five minute stay at the park. Not to mention getting ready myself. I didn't want to walk up to everyone at the park looking like someone who'd just crawled out of bed, even though I felt like one. I wanted to at least look presentable like everyone else would.
When I pulled up at the park, I could see people on the playground. For one moment, I felt like pulling right back out and going home. They weren't going to help me. I'd lost the man I loved, the man that hadn't even known it. How were they going to take that away? Just as I moved to back up, I heard a knock on my window and jumped. It was Taylor. That fucker scared the shit out of me. Next to him was the cutest little boy. He was grabbing Taylor's hand and pulling him toward the group. Maybe five minutes wouldn't hurt, I thought. I turned off the car and opened my door.
“So you're staying?” Taylor asked, as he began walking away. “I won't mention your near escape to Derek.”
I shook my head and walked toward my trunk. Once I had the stroller ready, I got Gabe out and put him in it. Then I grabbed the bag I'd packed, closed the trunk and doors, and started walking toward the group. It would be okay, I told myself. Everything would be fine.
The closer I got, the more people I recognized from the meeting and the more kids I saw running around. Just as I reached the table some of the parents were sitting at, including Stephanie, I saw him and froze. Derek was standing with his back to me. In his arms was the cutest little girl. She had her arms wrapped around his neck and was hugging him tight. Then she planted the biggest kiss on his cheek before kicking her way out of his arms.
“I love you, Daddy,” she yelled out, as she ran off to play.
He turned around and our eyes connected. So many emotions were going through me, damn hormones. Seeing him being a dad to his little girl pulled at my heart. It was seriously the sweetest sight I'd seen in a long time. He walked over and stopped in front of me, taking the bag from my arm.
“Don't be talking about that shit at work,” he said with a smile. “I have a reputation you know.”
I shook my head and laughed.
“Come on over,” he said, as he walked toward an empty table and put my bag down on it. “You think your brought enough? It's only a park.”
“Shut up,” I snapped out. “This our first real outing. I'll get it eventually.”
He let out a laugh, which only made me go from irritated to smiling.
“I know what you mean,” he said.
“Do you?” I asked, bothered that he was acting as if he knew exactly what I was going through.
“I do,” he said in a serious tone. “More than you know.”
“What does that mean exactly?” I asked.
I was waiting for his answer when Stephanie walked over. She looked down at Gabe and smiled.
“He is so adorable,” she said. “I miss the baby stage.”
“Thank you,” I said shyly. “I'm just getting used to it. I think I brought everything he owns.”
“Before long you'll have it down,” she said. “I'm glad you could make it.”
“Derek hasn't exactly made it easy not to,” I said, as I looked up at him only to find a cocky smile on his face.
“That just means he cares,” she said. “Count yourself lucky.”
“Why is that?” I asked.
“The only two things I've ever seen Derek care about is his little girl and his company,” she answered.
I could see something in her face. I got the feeling she liked Derek, but I couldn't be sure.
“Oh, he doesn't care about me,” I said. “I have nothing to do with his motivation to get me here.”
“What?” she asked with a confused expression on her face.
I was going to answer her honestly when the same cute little one that had been hanging around Derek's neck when I'd arrived came running over.
“I'm Jenny,” she said. “Can I see your baby?”
“Of course, Jenny,” I said, as I leaned down next to her. “His name is Gabe.”
“I like that,” she said. “He sure is cute, but he's really little.”
“He sure is,” I said. “You're pretty cute yourself.”
“Thank you,” she said with the biggest smile on her face. “You're very pretty. I like your dark hair. My mommy had blonde hair. Mine is dark like daddy's and yours.”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling a bit confused about how she knew her mom's hair color when her mom had passed so long ago. “I love your braids. I used to wear my hair just like that.”
“My grandma did them for me,” she said. “My daddy does them sometimes, but it doesn't look the same.”
“Hey,” Derek said, as he reached down and scooped the little girl up to kiss her cheek before setting her back on her feet. “I do a great job.”
The adorable little girl looked at me and shook her head so slightly.
“Would you like to play?” she asked me.
“I need to watch my baby,” I said.
“Go ahead,” Derek said with a laugh. “I'll watch Gabe while you play.”
I looked up and narrowed my eyes at him.
“That's okay,” I said.
“No,” he said. “I insist. You go play, and I'll watch the baby.”
Before I could say anything, he came right back again. I felt like he could read my damn thoughts.
“I know what I'm doing,” he said. “Jenny turned out just fine. I can watch him for a few minutes. Besides, it will be so worth it to see you out there playing.”
“What?” I asked sarcastically. “You don't think I can still play?”
“I just said it would be worth it,” he said innocently.
That shit was anything but innocent.
“Come on,” I said, as I moved the stroller closer to him, stuck my tongue out, and turned back to Jenny. “Let's go play.”
I was going to show that fucker just how wrong he was.
Chapter 18
Derek
I was laughing so hard as she walked her cocky ass away from me. She'd just stuck her tongue out like a five-year-old. Of course I was challenging her. She was acting like she couldn't play because she had to watch her son. That was total bullshit. Not that I was a stranger to playing. Shit! I was all over that playground with my little girl when our group got together. I just wasn't sure Bridget would have it in her. She didn't back down either. That woman marched right out there to pla
y.
Two minutes after she walked away, Gabe woke up and started to cry. He really was pretty cute. I picked him up and began to rock him back and forth. His big brown eyes looked up at me, and I couldn't help but miss rocking Jenny the same way. He quickly fell back to sleep, but I couldn't make myself put him back into his stroller.
I looked out to see Jenny climbing the slide stairs. Sure enough, Bridget was right behind her.
“Watch me,” Jenny yelled back to her. “See if you can slide down faster.”
Bridget cheered as Jenny slid to the bottom. Then she climbed over and looked down the slide. I watched her eyes move across the dirt until they came to my feet. Then I saw them climb my body. When they landed on the little bundle in my arms, emotion ran through them. I couldn't have missed that shit if I had tried. When they reached my eyes, I smiled at her and motioned for her to get her ass moving. She stuck her damn tongue out again and pushed off. Bridget flew down that slide and Jenny cheered and laughed.
“That was good,” Jenny told her. “You were much faster than me. You want to try again?”
“I'll watch you from the bottom this time,” Bridget answered.
As Jenny walked around and climbed back up, Bridget turned to me, and I mouthed the words chicken shit to her. She shook her head and turned back to Jenny.
“Push off,” Bridget yelled up to her. “Make sure your shoes don't slow you down.”
Jenny came down, and Bridget caught her and swung her around.
“See how fast that was,” Bridget said.
“Let's go swing,” I heard Jenny yell, as she headed toward the swing.
Bridget took off right behind her. At first, Bridget swung next to her. She wasn't too bad either. The woman was higher than my little girl. Then she stood behind Jenny to push her. When she did an underdog, I couldn't contain my laughter and poor Gabe jumped. Jenny was laughing just as hard as I was. I felt so bad and held the baby up to my chest to whisper that everything was okay. He settled right away and back off to sleep he went.
When one of the other kids walked up to play with Jenny, Bridget took that as her way out. On her way back to me, one of the guys walked up and she stopped walking. I could see how nervous she was, but she played it off very well. It took all I had not to walk over, but I knew I couldn't. There was a part of me that couldn't help but want to protect her. I could hear him telling her how cute she looked out there with Jenny, and I didn't like it. There was no reason for him to be flirting with her at her first picnic. That was total bullshit. I knew I'd be watching out for that asshole.
“You okay?” Taylor asked, as he walked up behind me.
“Fine,” I said.
“You sure about that?” he asked. “If I didn't know better, I'd think you were jealous.”
“Stop saying shit like that,” I said, as I turned to him. “I'm only helping her for Gabe. I can't have her hearing that crap.”
“Why?” he asked. “Are you afraid she'll fall madly in love with you? Come on, lighten up.”
“Maybe you had a point,” I heard come from behind me and quickly turned around.
“What?” I asked.
“I'm not a kid anymore,” she said, as she let out a deep breath. “It was pretty fun though.”
“Jenny loved it,” I said. “You should have seen her face when you ran under that swing. Those parents over there are going to want to kick your ass. All the kids are going to want underdogs now.”
“Very funny,” she said. “Did Gabe wake up?”
“For a second,” I said. “I rocked him, and he went right back to sleep.”
“You could have put him back down,” she said, as she reached out to take him from me.
How bad was it that I instantly wanted the little guy back in my arms?
“I know,” I said. “He was comfy.”
“I bet,” she said. “Don't be spoiling him.”
“Yeah right,” I said with a smile. “I bet you have him in your arms all day long.”
“I do not,” she said.
“I have to agree with Derek,” Taylor said.
Bridget didn't respond to him. Instead, she kept her eyes on me.
When my phone rang, I pulled it out of my pocket.
“I have to take this,” I said. “I'll be right over there.”
I didn't want to leave her standing there, but I knew Taylor was a good person beyond all his shit talking.
“I'm sure I'll manage while you're gone,” she said sarcastically.
I shook my head and walked off to the side so nobody would hear me before answering. It was the police department. I'd given them my personal number. They were the only ones that didn't go through my brother before getting to me. They had a job for us and wanted to meet with me first thing Monday morning. I was so damn excited. The thought of finally doing something that could take a piece of shit off the street made me feel useful. I couldn't wait to jump right in, and I knew Walker would be right there with me on that. He missed making a difference as much as I did.
When I walked back over to Bridget and Taylor, he narrowed his eyes at me.
“Well,” he said.
“What?” I asked.
“Don't give me that shit,” he snapped. “Spill it.”
“I've got a meeting Monday morning,” I said.
“That's awesome,” he said, as he smacked me on the shoulder. “I know how badly you want this.”
When I heard Bridget laugh, I looked over at her.
“What?” I asked in a rough tone, not happy that she thought the shit was funny.
“Nothing,” she said.
“No,” I snapped. “What was so funny about that?”
“You must have meetings all the time,” she said innocently. “I can only imagine what it is that you want so badly.”
She had a damn smile that went from ear to ear. I couldn't decide if I wanted to laugh or put her in her place. What the hell was running through her mind, I wondered? Before I got the chance to ask her, Taylor opened his big mouth.
“He has a meeting with the cops,” he said with a smile on his face.
“What?” she asked, keeping her eyes directed at me. “Why would you need to meet with them? I'm sure they have more than enough security there.”
“That's not all we do,” Taylor said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “We're about to get a real case. I mean, all of our cases are real, but this will be different. We won't be chasing cheaters or following people just to see it they're the one who did something stupid to someone else just to piss them off. This is different. We're talking the real deal, chasing criminals and shit. This could make a huge difference for us.”
“First off, I haven't met with them yet,” I said sternly, as I looked at Taylor with warning in my eyes. “I have no idea what they want done, and let me remind you again, we aren't doing shit. This is on me and if I need help, your brother.”
When I turned back toward Bridget, something was different. The smile she'd had just seconds before was gone. She stood still, looking down at Gabe, with an unreadable expression on her face. Was it sadness? Was it worry? Was she upset? What the fuck just happened?
Chapter 19
Bridget
Jenny was adorable. She thought the slide was so much fun, and I couldn't deny her request to try it out. When I looked out and saw Derek with Gabe in his arms, I couldn't pull my eyes away. It was a precious sight. Derek was so big and manly. He was also pretty serious most of the time. I'd seen a different side of him when we were alone at the coffee shop. We'd joked and laughed, but we'd also had some pretty serious conversation. Seeing him rock my son back and forth was yet another side of the big man. He was looking down at him. I could see his mouth moving, but I couldn't hear his words. When he looked up at me, the strangest feeling shot through me. My damn hormones were at it again. I quickly shook the feeling away and went back to playing with Jenny. When I pushed her swing high and ran under it, I was brought back to my own childhood. Things we
re so much easier back then, I thought to myself.
A little girl came running over to play with Jenny, so I used the opportunity to get back to my boy. One of the guys from the meeting stopped me halfway. I kept my eyes on my baby while I smiled and got out of there as politely and quickly as possible.
Seeing Gabe in Derek's arms fucked with my mind. Thoughts of Gabe's dad never getting to hold his son had me ready to break down in tears. Then thoughts of guilt popped up. Another man was holding our baby, and I was allowing it to happen. When I thought about the strange feeling that had filled me when I'd first seen them, it made the guilt that much worse. Then I thought about Derek and the meetings. Should I really be going? Will it even help? Will I ever feel better? The guilt hit me again when I thought about talking to Derek. We'd text back and forth a few times, but that was about the meeting or the picnic. I wasn't doing anything wrong. It wasn't like we'd gone out or anything. Things weren't like that. He'd even said himself that he was only helping me because of Gabe. I took Gabe from Derek's arms telling him not to spoil my baby. When he tried to say I held him all day, he was right, but I wasn't going to let him know that. I wasn't worried about spoiling my little one. That wasn't it at all.
When Derek's phone rang and he took the call, my mind was just starting to settle. He came back with a smile so damn wide on his face. Taylor caught it right away and asked what had happened. When Derek said he had a meeting on Monday, Taylor's eyes lit up. I thought it was a bit strange, but I didn't say anything. When Taylor mentioned how badly Derek had wanted it, I couldn't stop the laugh before it came out. I was a serious person most of the time. Of course I joked with Gabby, she was my best friend. I used to joke a bit with Gabe as well. For some reason when Taylor mentioned Derek wanting it, some pretty silly shit popped into my mind, and I couldn't stop myself. That laugh didn't go over well with Derek. Taylor jumped in again telling me it was a meeting with the cops. I was thinking security stuff, but Taylor quickly let me know it was the real deal, chasing criminals and shit was how he put it. Then Derek corrected him.
“We aren't doing shit. This is on me and if I need help, your brother,” Derek said, with warning in his tone.
Derek (Hunter PI & Security #1) Page 13